Getty Images Andy Cohen talks about CNN's decision to ban alcohol on New Year's Eve.
Andy Cohen is sharing his feelings on CNN’s decision to ban him and Anderson Cooper from drinking alcohol on the air on New Year’s Eve.
The “Real Housewives” executive producer sat down with Howard Stern for a chat on June 14, 2023, and the two discussed the dry celebration in Times Square that happened six months ago.
“What a bungle,” Cohen said about the situation when asked about it by Stern on his SiriusXM radio show. “People want to see me make Anderson giggle, and they love to see him do shots. We did everything we could to get around it, but it was just a stupid move,” he said, referring to the network’s decision.
Here’s what you need to know:
Andy Cohen Is Hoping CNN Will Reconsider its Stance for New Year’s Eve 2024
Chris Licht served as the CEO of the network when New Year’s Eve 2023 rolled around and it was his decision to tell Cohen and Cooper that they couldn’t drink while on the air.
Six months later, it was confirmed that Licht was fired from the network just a year after being hired as CEO.
“This job was never going to be easy, especially at a time of great disruption and transformation, and Chris poured his heart and soul into it. He has a deep love for journalism and this business and that has been evident throughout his tenure. Unfortunately, things did not work out the way we had hoped — and ultimately that’s on me,” read a message that was sent to the staff by Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav, according to NPR.
When Stern asked Cohen if he thought that Licht was the wrong person for the job, Cohen responded, “I don’t know the answer to that — I guess, because it didn’t work out.”
“I didn’t really care,” he admitted. “I just wanted to drink on New Year’s Eve, and I just want Anderson to be happy. It was my hope that had he remained that maybe we could’ve said to him, ‘Listen, this clearly did not work out last year, so let’s revisit this issue,'” he added.
Ratings for CNN’s New Year’s Eve Coverage Actually Increased in 2023
Best pals Cohen and Cooper have been teaming up for New Year’s Eve the past few years, and their 2022 broadcast was a total hit. However, the two had been drinking while on air and fans really liked seeing the two let loose a bit — especially Cooper, who is usually quite serious.
Regardless of the no drinking rule, many people still tuned in to watch Cohen and Cooper ring in the new year together.
“CNN’s New Year’s Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen averaged 2.1M viewers across its full coverage block from 8 p.m.-12:30 a.m. That beat Fox News Channel and MSNBC by quite a large margin. FNC had 1.2M viewers and MSNBC had only 194,000,” Deadline reported on January 4, 2023.
“In the cable news demographic of 25-54, CNN also outperformed its competition, posting 806,000 average demo viewers — an 8% increase from the year prior,” the outlet’s coverage continued.
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